Wire fence stretching clamp



Jan. 24, 1956 R. G. MARTIN 2,732,176

WIRE FENCE STRETCHING CLAMP Filed Dec. 24, 1953 ,5 rwwl'ar Q gmemd awarl'in i t te P t -1 2,732,176 r wmE FENCE STRETCHING CLAMP Raymond G. Martin, Mount Vernon, Iowa Application December 24, 1953, Serial No. 400,336 I 2 Claims. (Cl.-254--83) My invention relates to the stretching taut of wire fencing prior to its being secured to fence posts, and specifically it is a clamp that will grip the wire fencing without slipping or damaging the fencing so that a considerable force can be applied to the fencing to tighten it. Such clamps are not new in general. All of the clamps with which I am familiar, however, use either or both of the following clamping or gripping structures:

1. A pincers or pressing gripping action.

2. A kinking or multiple bending gripping action. Furthermore, all of the kinking units with which I am familiar require that the kinking of the wire fencing be accomplished, at least in part, before the pulling force is applied with little or no leverage from the clamp to aid in the bending process. These known structures of the prior art lead, inevitably it seems to me, to certain shortcomings categorized as follows:

1. Difliculty in connecting the clamp onto the fencing.

a. Loss of time in using tedious clamping methods.

b. Awkwardness of using the clamp.

2. Limitations as to where the clamp can be secured to a given length of fencing (particularly with pincers type).

3. Damage to the fencing (pincers type pinching too hard).

4. A combination of two or more of the first three.

My fence stretching clamp avoids the diificulties of the prior art by employing a single substantial bend as the primary gripping technique. Furthermore, the bending of the wire fencing is done by power rather than manually, as is true of many of the prior art units. The action is accomplished by bending the fencing at substantially right angles and applying the fence tightening pulling force at the vertex of the angle bent into the wire. As a secondary gripping action the clamp provides abroad faced pincer gripping structure. The same force that does the bending of the wire and exerts a stretching pull on the fencing is also used to produce a restrained pincers action that is spread over the broad gripping faces of the clamp mentioned above that contact the wire fencing.

The objects of my invention are, therefore, to provide a wire fencing tightening clamp that:

1. Is easy to secure to a length of wire fencing.

2. Can be secured to fencing at any point along its length.

3. Bends the wire fencing in one substantial angle and permits applying the stretching force at the vertex of the angle bent into the fencing.

4. Uses the same source of energy to bend, clamp and tighten the fencing.

5. Has a broad surface for a pincers type gripping action which is operated simultaneously with the bending and pulling action.

6. Has limitations placed on the amount of pincers type clamping that can be done.

7. Is inexpensive to construct and maintain.

These are the primary objects of my invention al- 2,732,176 Patented Jan. 24, 1956 though others may become apparent from the following specification and the drawings accompanying it. The drawings are briefly described as follows:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of my clamp in use on a section of fence, 1

1 Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the two main elements of my clamp,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of my clamp being applied to fencing wire. The view is taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and is made to the same scale as Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a'view identical to that of Fig. 3 except that the'clamp'is secured to the fencing instead of being in the process of being fastened, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of my clamp on a section of wire fencing and shown from the opposite side from that shown in Fig. 1. It is drawn to a scale between that used in Fig. 1 and that used in Figs. 2, 3, and i4.

' Referring to the drawings I have used the numeral 10 to designate the outside angle or rigid member while the inside rigid angle member isnumbered 12. The sides of the angle members that form the angle may be referred to .hereaft'er as legs. The outside angle element is equipped with the boss loops 14. These boss loops are secured to the angle member in any reasonable manner, and I have shown them as welded. They are shown as extending beyond the inner face of the portion of the outside angle member to which they are secured. This structural feature, that is the extension beyond the inner face of the angle member, of the boss loops is significant if, but only if, straight bosses such as the ones designated 16 secured to the inside angle member are used. The necessary thing is to provide bosses and loops that will permit the two angle members of the clamp to be readily disengaged and engaged and held in rather close proximity at one of their side portions. The combination of easy disengagement and yet holding in close proximity when desired could also be accomplished by using straight boss loops and bent bosses. I show the described structure as illustrative and as being easier to construct.

A second pair of loops shown clearly in all the figures are designated 18 and called the pulling loops; are secured to the outside angle member at the vertex of the angle. Again any suitable method of securing the loops may be employed, and I have shown welding as illustrative and satisfactory. A pair of flexible elements such as the chains 20 are secured to the inside angle or rigid member at a point corresponding, in terms of length to the point where the pulling loops are secured to the outside angle member. While satisfactory results may be achieved by using any suitable flexible element, the chain has some merit in itself in that it tends to restrict or at least resist sliding movement of the flexible element over the pulling loops when tension becomes severe. The resistance to sliding of the chain prevents excessive clamping of a pincers type on the wire fencing. Damage to the fencing from excessive pincers action is thereby assuredly prevented, although such damage is practically impossible with my clamp in any event because of the broad surfaces engaging the wire.

One of the major inventive features of my clamp is best understood through an explanation of the operation of the clamp. The first step in applying my clamp to wire fencing is to lay the outside rigid angle member on a surface such as the ground and place the fencing to be clamped over it. The boss loops 14 can protrude through the wire fencing 22 when it is pressed down against the angle member as would be the case when the second or inside angle member is placed on the top of the wire. The inside angle member is tipped as shown in Fig. 3 so that the bosses 16 will enter the avenue" boss, loops 14. No attempt is made to bend the wire,

fencing at this stage in the proceedings. The flexible elements 20 are then directed down through the pull loops 18 and connected to any source of energy (not shown) by the main pulling chain 24. The source of power may be any vehicle such as a tractor or mayeven be an individual pulling on a block and tackle secured to a suitable anchoring point. The first action that results when pulling force is applied 'to the flexible ele ments 20 is the forcing down of the inside angle member into the outside angle member with a resultant bending of the wire fencing. A 'c'lamping action is also applied by the forcing together of the two rigid members. In my clamp, therefore, it is the main tightening or stretching pull exerted on the clamp that first bends the fencing, then clamps it and finally causes the fencing to be drawn taut.

In summary, the clamp I have invented both bends and clamps the wire fencing to be tightened and applies thebe clear that there is little or no chance of damaging the wire fencing. I submit, therefore, that I have invented a clamp for wire fencing that accomplishes the objects of my invention. I define my invention specifically in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a wire fence clamp; an angle member; a boss loop secured to said angle member; a pull loop secured to said angle member at the outside of the vertex of the angle of said angle member; a second angle member having a length approximately that of said angle member; a boss secured to said second angle member; flexible means secured to said second angle member at a point corresponding to the location of said pull loop on said angle member with reference to length and on the opposite leg of said second angle member as that carrying said boss.

-2. The wire fence clamp of claim 1 in which said flexible element is a chain.

References Cited in the file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS 888,561 Whitehead May 26, 1908 1,078,155 Livering Nov. 11, 1913 1,886,132 Spurgeon et a1. Nov. 1, 1932 2,480,796 Ward Aug. 30, 1949 

